Despite the school year's having begun, and my feeling quite stressed due to the weight of multiple life roles, I am happy. One of the reasons for this is that Elizabeth is pregnant. She is now nearing the 12-week mark, the time when parents can breathe a little more easily because the threat of miscarriage diminishes considerably. For us, getting pregnant is a real victory, a blessing of tremendous worth. Sonora seems excited by the idea of a baby sibling. She regularly kisses Elizabeth's belly and then says, "That was nice of me, wasn't it?" Perhaps she can sense that we are pleased that she doesn't resent the new life that is becoming part of the family.

And she has plenty of cause to resent the pregnancy and the tiny thing that is making Elizabeth's belly swell. Elizabeth has been sick since week two. Very sick. She was sick throughout the whole vacation to Alaska and started puking several times a day when we got home. She lost almost 15 pounds in five weeks when she should have gained a couple. She started taking some anti-nausea medicine a couple of weeks ago and the puking mostly stopped, but she still is constantly nauseas and usually pretty tired. What this means for Sonora is that her mom, who in the past has paid a great deal of attention to her, now spends a lot less time paying attention to her. This has brought Sonora and me closer. I've taken over some of the responsibilities that Elizabeth used to do and I spend more time interacting with and watching over my daughter.

But now that school has started, Sonora spends more time than ever entertaining herself. She even read aloud all of The Giving Tree to herself the other night. She would turn the page, repeat 75% of what was written there, and then move on to the next page. It was cute, but a little bit sad; one of her parents should have perhaps been there next to her reading with her. In some ways, Elizabeth's sickness will make the inevitable adjustment of attention toward the infant and away from Sonora more bearable for her, and Elizabeth and I believe that Sonora's having a sibling will be more valuable in the long run than her parents' undivided attention.